Most Popular PlacesRandom PlaceListsItinerariesAdd a PlaceDownload the App Grotta Tanaccia PDX Carpet Memorial Roundels of Historical Figures Bedford Flag Where to See the World’s Most Famous Preserved Body Parts 5 days ago Atlas Obscura’s Guide to America’s Most Haunted Cemeteries 12 days ago The Best Haunted Hotels to Book for a Spooky Getaway 21 days ago Path leading to Grotta Tanaccia katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User Path leading to Grotta Tanaccia katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User Path leading to Grotta Tanaccia katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User Path leading to Grotta Tanaccia katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User Grotta Tanaccia is an ancient rock niche on the edge of Monte Titano, located just outside the city walls near Montale Tower. The niche in the cliff face of Monte Titano, cave feels too grand a word for what you'll find, saw active use as a place of worship from the second Iron Age, through the Roman period and to the late-antique period. Grotta Tanaccia is therefore considered the oldest sanctuary in the Republic of San Marino.
Excavations here have discovered bronze votive offerings, anatomical terracotta offerings depicting arms and fingers, and over a hundred coins. All of these treasures can be seen in the State Museum of San Marino. Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.
Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The path to access Grotta Tanaccia is steep in places, wear sensible shoes and don't try to access it in the wet as the mud will be slippy. It may be easier to try and access the cave from Via del Voltone behind the Banca Centrale della Repubblica di San Marino.
There's parking for a few cars off road on the bend if you don't fancy the walk. This subterranean chapel is said to be where the Holy Family sought refuge before fleeing to Egypt. The cave of a 12th-century hermit is still visited and venerated today.
Visiting this grotto is symbolic of a spiritual journey into Nirvana. A limestone grotto where daylight filters in from below and turns the water a beautiful turquoise. Also home to a small underwater nativity scene.
South of Bologna, a limestone grotto with a protruding waterfall and a floor full of cave pearls. Packed with geological formations, an ancient river, and taxidermied seals, this overlooked coastal cave system is worth a spelunk. The grotto where Saint Ignatius of Loyola lived as a hermit for nearly a year.
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